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The Sunday called Quinquagesima, or the
Sunday next before before Lent.
The
Collect.
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LORD who hast taught us that all our
doings without charity are nothing worth; Send thy Holy Ghost, and pour into
our hearts that most excellent gift of charity, the very bond of peace and of all
virtues, without which whosoever liveth is counted dead before thee. Grant this
for thine only Son Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.
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HEN Jesus took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are
written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he
shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully
entreated, and spitted on: and they shall scourge him, and put him to death:
and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these
things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which
were spoken. And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain
blind man sat by the wayside begging: and hearing the multitude pass by, he
asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And
he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And they which
went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much
the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood, and commanded
him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said,
Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. And
immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all
the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God. (Luke
18:31-43)
We will see
today how Christ was so exceedingly constant in His love for us even while His
death was impending. He never waivered in the face of His coming passion, It is
an unattainable standard to which we must aspire. It is not a simple matter to
consider the welfare and spiritual disposition of others while we are headed
for a cruel cross ourselves, but Christ DID, and He did so as earnestly as He
did at the beginning of His ministry.
We will note
also how prevailing prayer, in the face of detractors, will be heard by God.
Though many – even supposed believers – may attempt to severe our voices from a
direct access to God, with perseverance, no wall can divide from the Springs of
Mercy in Christ.
We would miss
the great thrust of the day if we did not make mention of the prescribed
Epistle for today – 1 Cor 13 – the Love Chapter. All that Christ bore in His
body and soul for us was an open demonstration of that love presented in 1 Cor
13.
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HOUGH I
speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become
as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of
prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have
all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am
nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give
my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity
suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself,
is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not
easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in
the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things,
endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies,
they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be
knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.
But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be
done away. (1 Cor 13:1-10)
This
beautiful chapter tells us that all our labors, works, and service must have
their foundations in love.
No matter the
good we do, if love is not the motivator and cause, it is a waste to us for
heavenly approval.
Christ gave,
out of love, His very lifeblood for us. He was longsuffering and patient. He
did not sound a trumpet before Him, but came speaking in a voice of kindness
and soft accent. Christ bore all things for us – what have we born for
Him?
Let us now
address the text of Luke 18:31-43
Jesus is on
His way to Jerusalem for the last time. He is fully aware of the cataclysmic
events that will occur: His betrayal, His trial, His torture, and His terrible
death on the cross. But He continues to love and serve as long as His life’s
breath remains – even forgiving and receiving a thief on the very cross upon
which He suffered.
31 Then
he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold,
we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets
concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. 32 For
he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully
entreated, and spitted on: 33 And they shall scourge
him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. 34 And they understood none
of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the
things which were spoken.
As Jesus
approached Jericho, there was a certain man who had sat begging by the
roadside. He had sat there year in and year out begging for the mere sustenance
of life. When he had been led by his friends to the place he sat down that
morning, he had not dreamed of the blessings the day would bring.
Often, we
worry about the days events but most often, our worries are unfounded and God
will provide an unexpected blessing[1].
Though the
man knew not of the Coming Christ, the man’s plight and circumstances was fully
known by Jesus. He had watched all those years as the man sat begging beside
that dust road to Jericho. Perhaps the pre-incarnate Christ would have wanted
to touch the man’s eyes with healing before he ever came to beg, but, with God,
there is a time and season for all things.
It may be
that Christ desired us to glorify God more mightily in the visible example of
His healing of the man. Even the blind have glorified the Father by His
manifest works.
35 And it came to pass, that as he was
come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging
How random
this sounds – how accidental even. But with God, there is no random thought or
action, and there are no accidents. Christ was surely coming to the very place
that this blind man sat begging.
Christ knew
the man was worried with the cares of life much more greatly than those who
were whole. The man would have been satisfied, before he met Christ, to have
received a few shillings with which to buy food – but after we have met Christ,
those concerns fall away. Our souls loom before us and we must care for them in
Christ.
Though blind
in sight, the man was privileged to retain his hearing – and it was made more
acute by his blindness. : 36 And hearing
the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. He wondered at
the approaching crowd and what this meant. Little did he know that he had come
to this place as a blind beggar, but would leave a blessed child of God,
rejoicing and glorifying God. He would also be a follower of the Lord who had
healed his eyes as well as his soul.
37 And
they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by God must have seen to it, in His divine
Providence, that this man had heard of Christ being discussed by passersby and
his friends. He had hung on to every word that he had heard – not knowing or
believing that such as him would SEE Christ face to face!
When we while
away our hours and days contemplating our troubles and loneliness, little do we
know that the Savior is on His Way to us.
38 And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou
Son of David, have mercy on me. The blind man may never have even given thought to the possibility
that Jesus would restore his sight. That was not important to the man. The most
important blessing that would outweigh all else was that Christ would simply
have mercy upon him. That mercy of Christ is of greater benefit than all else.
It is sadly
true that those nearest to Christ are often the very ones who bar the way to
others in coming to Him. This is often true even in the Church. We stake out
our territories and spheres of influence and woe be unto any who trespass.
We too often
want to keep the blessings of God to ourselves and by that desire loose them.
39 And they which went before rebuked him,
that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of
David, have mercy on me.
As Paul
counsels “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made
us free …” (Gal 5:1) Give no ground to the nay sayers. When the enemy
attack becomes most intense, retreat not – commit your reserves. No man was
going to silence this man’s voice when God was listening. He simply redoubled
his effort and his volume.
40 And Jesus stood, and commanded him
to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him
When God
stands still it is the moment of His greatest action. Christ stopped for the
blind man.
You and I
were blind too before Christ came to us. When we call on His Name, He
will stop and command us to be brought to Him – often by the Holy Ghost, but
now by men. He has commanded us to bring many souls. Have we done?
When we are
near to Christ, we can hear His voice.
Now that the
blind man was assured of the mercy of the Lord, he felt free to ask whatsoever
he needed most: “41 Saying, What
wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may
receive my sight.
42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. Please
observe that Christ heals fully and not partially, immediately and not with
delay. When we have called upon Him, when we have COME to Him, when we have
HEARD His voice – He will heal us and SAVE us. The man had great faith – and
His faith was well-placed.
We should
remember how the man came to the roadside, but also how he left it. 43 And immediately he received
his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw
it, gave praise unto God.
Once we have
seen and known, our souls should be changed completely. We do not depart from
Christ in the same manner in which we came. We must, if we have been made
whole, depart praising Him and glorifying His Holy Name. Our lives will be an
inspiration and curiosity to others who need to know Christ.
